Alchemical Revolutionreleases on January 26th, but the full card list is up! I love the art of this game, but it is introducing some cool new mechanics that I need to try. If you want to try Grand Archive before making your first purchase, the kind folks at Weebs of the Shore have a nice print-and-play section and comprehensive tutorial you should take advantage of. Decide quickly because first edition boxes of Alchemical Revolutionare limited, and there won’t be reprints.
Let’s get hyped about the release by looking at the card list. Check with your LGS for any events and products, but there’s always TCG Player if that isn’t an option.
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The Realm of Ink demo is now live on Steam. If you are looking for a new action roguelike to sink some time into, download this demo today! The demo is only 40 minutes long, but you’re going to want more.
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Hook
Realm of Ink is a short story collection controlled by the Book Spirit. For the most part, characters within its pages live their lives as written. This changes when on a hunt for a cunning Fox Spirit, Red discovers that everything around her is a fabrication. After her awakening, Red makes her journey through this fictional world to find out the truth of the Book Spirit. What secrets will she learn along the way?
Gameplay
Thoughts
The full version of the game will give players access to different characters, spirits, and upgrades, but the demo is limited to one character, chapter, and a limited selection of upgrades and spirits. While I was left wanting more, the provides players with a solid grasp of the gameplay loop.
Real of Inkplays like your traditional Rogulike. Players start each round with a random spirit and earn random upgrades as they move through the levels. Champions have access to a light attack, a heavy attack, and two spirit abilities.
These types of games are repetitive by design, but there is enough RNG in this game to make each run feel different. I ran through the demo version a few times and never had the same build twice. Some builds are better than others, but that is the nature of RNG.
Red is a cool champion with three loadouts. Players start the demo with the single sword but can unlock a duel wield version for faster attacks and a ranged attack after you end your first run. Each loadout plays differently, which keeps the game feeling fresh. I preferred the ranged version of Red because I had a lot of fun kitting in this game.
Realm of Ink is beautiful, and I recommend you check it out to appreciate its art style. The demo also has fun flavor, and an amazing soundtrack. The gameplay was fun. Combat was great, leveling was fast and easy, RNG seemed fair, and the spirits gave fun abilities. I don’t like that you start the game with one spirit and have to find the second through RNG.
The only complaint I have is that in some runs, I only had access to one spirit ability. This felt like a disadvantage, especially when it came to the boss fight. I hope spirits are easier to collect on full release because it is the mechanic that gave the game its unique flavor.
The demo is short, but it was long enough to get me excited. I need a little more story and gameplay before I can form a full opinion. If you’re looking for something new to play, check out the Real of Ink demo. It’s free, it’s fun, and it isn’t a huge commitment.
We don’t have an official release date, but I will be trying to get my hands on a copy when it comes out. Stay tuned for that. If you enjoy my content, please leave a comment, like, follow, and share this with your friends!
The Bungie Foundation is hosting its fifth Game2Give fundraising event. From now until February 2nd, players can earn unique rewards to support children’s hospitals and provide relief to global communities in need. As of writing this, $989,692.90 out of their $1,500,000.00 has been met, and I am pretty sure we can beat that. Head over to the official page to learn more!
There are two ways to support this. Players can either donate on the official website, or they can buy some of the Game2Give merch available for a limited time on the Bungie Store. Supplies are limited, so move fast!
As As an added intensive, Bungie is opening the vault and giving donors access to exclusive emblems. Emblems cost 1 credit, and donors earn 1 credit per $6 donation. This is a great cause, so make sure you gather any spare glimmer and give back! (Check out the official page for more)
The Building Better Worldsexpansion for the Alien RPG just released, and you might want to pick it up for the colony mechanics. You will need the core rulebook to use this resource, so either the Core Rulebook ($54.08) or the Starter Set ($51.22) should be enough to get you started.
Starter set doesn’t include GM Screen
The Starter set has everything you need to get you started:
5 generated character sheets
prewritten adventure
84 game makers to keep track of characters, motions, and more
54 custom cards for weapons, personal agenda, and initiative
10 specially designed base dice
10 specially designed stress dice
864x558mm double-sided map
You do get a condensed version of the rules, but this should be perfect for new players. If you want to create your own adventure, I recommend you pick up the core rulebook! You get a pdf version for either physical copy.
Thoughts on the Expansion
Building Better Worlds is a neat resource for GMS who need a little extra help to spice up their next Alien campaign. I typically like to make up my adventure, even when working from a book, but I appreciate being able to fall back on other people’s ideas from time to time. This book has some neat ideas I definitely want to try at my table, like having my players become stranded on a prison planet of deranged criminals and Xenomorphs.
The book introduces new ships, NPCs, planets, solar systems, and weapons to help aid GMs with flavor and world-building. It includes several plot hoots, ideas on how to run certain planets or colonies, and even a campaign players can run through if they need a jumping-off point. Most importantly, the book introduces the colony mechanic.
From my brief understanding, players will need to travel to foreign planets and either start, maintain or save a colony for humanity’s expansion into the cosmos. This won’t be an easy task. Planets are inhospitable, conditions are unpredictable, and there are bloodthirsty aliens lurking in the shadows. In space, if the stress of survival doesn’t kill you, the Xenos will. This sounds like the perfect bleek setting for any table that needs a change of pace, and I am here for it.
Where to Buy
Remember, you need access to the core rules before picking up this expansion. Those interested in the Building Better Worldsexpansion can get their hardcover copy from the official Free League Publishing website for $45.51. Those who don’t care about physical media can pick up the PDF on DriveThruRPG for $19.99. If you play online, I recommend picking up the official Building Better Worlds module for Foundry VTT. I’ve written a post explaining why you should use Foundry VTT if you want to know more.
I do plan on running Alien RPG at some point after Dragonbane. I have a huge collection of RPGs I need to get through, and I like to take my time and live in them for a bit. Until then, stay tuned! If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow and share this with your friends.
Animal Colosseum releases this Friday, January 19th, and I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate the alt art cards. I love Digimon because it has some of the coolest art in any TCG (I’m a little biased), and this set is no exception. I’ve already made a post for the Digital art, but they don’t do them justice. This is a game where you need to hold the foil in your hand to appreciate the detail. I don’t have the real thing, so pictures will have to do for now.
If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. Always support your LGS, but you can always preorder Animal Colusseum or purchase any other Digimon Product, like the Blast Ace booster, over at TCG Player.
Animal Colosseumreleases this Friday, January 19th, so lets take a look at the box toppers. There are a few Digitama I wouldn’t getting my hands on, and that Skullgreymon just looks so sick. Always check with your LGS for any events and product, but you can always preorder Animal Colusseum on TCG Player.
If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a comment, like, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for any Digimon product like Blast Ace, get it over at TCG Player
Temporal Forces releases on March 22nd, so its time to look at all the full art cards that have been revealed so far. There is a lot of cool art in this set, and a lot you’re going to want to chase. Check out the full list of spoilers and their translations. Always support your LGS, but I made a list of places where you can preorder if that isn’t an option.
If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you want to order any existing Pokémon product like the latest Paradox Riftset, get it over at TCG Player.
I was sent Roots of Yggdrasil for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
What is Roots of Yggdrasil
Roots of Yggdrasil is a roguelike deck builder that splashes village builder elements to create a unique gaming experience. The game releases on Steam in Early Access on January 24 for $14.99. Don’t forget to wishlist.
Sunna and her tribe have been trapped between time, and they must find a way out. Together you must build a settlement, explore the unknown, and discover the secrets that will take the tribe to the top of Yggdrasil. But the road won’t be easy, and failure means you will have to start over. Do you have the spatial awareness to make it to the top of the mountain?
Gameplay
Players start a run of Roots of Yggdrasil with a random deck that they upgrade throughout a run. These decks summon structures that can be built on procedurally generated levels. Space and resources are limited, making efficiency a player’s most important resource. To beat an encounter, players need to complete several tasks to power up the ship for the next leg of the voyage. A player can run out of space or resources, or have a random disaster make it impossible to complete a level. For example, there is a deadly fog that slowly eats up the map, leaving players without enough space to build.
Aside from the village builder elements, Roots of Yggdrasil plays like your typical deck builder. Heroes have special abilities players can cast periodically, there are random encounters that give players cards or resources, and there are permanent upgrades players can purchase in between runs. The hardest part about this game is building in the right order and leaving enough space for what you need.
Thoughts
Roots of Yggdrasil is a cute game with a fun art style, amazing flavor, and interesting mechanics. I enjoyed this game a lot, but the game isn’t finished, and you can tell. It isn’t unplayable. The game never crashed, and the mechanics were fine, but it needs a little polish and more content. The gameplay started to feel repetitive after a few runs, so most people will want to wait for more biomes, mechanics, and features to be added to the game.
If you don’t mind the roughness of an Early Access game and want to experience a unique deck builder, look into Roots of Yggdrasil. The bit I got to play is fun, and I can see the potential. I’ll be revisiting the game on a future release, so make sure you stay tuned for that. Until then, make sure you add it to your wishlist!
I was sent Terra Aliafor free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off. You can also always buy me coffee.
Terra Aliais a VR RPG game for the Meta Quest that teaches players a new language. The game supports 10 languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese. Players are put into a world full of magic, but the only way to use it is to learn a new language.
There is a story to this game, but it doesn’t feel important. At least it didn’t hook me enough to care. The main draw to this game is the grind to learn a new language. The game does this through exploration, puzzles, and combat.
I felt like exploration was the main loop for this game. Players pick up new vocabulary and phrases through exploration. To pick up a new word, you point at the word, listen to the translation, and pronounce it properly. The game offers a prerecorded pronunciation and uses the Quest’s mic to check yours. Players use the words and phrases they learn to solve puzzles, beat challenges, and cast spells.
For the most part, the prerecordings are fine when it comes to single words, but they fall off when it comes to prerecordings. The recordings of some of the phrases were incoherent, and I found myself stuck because I couldn’t hear the pronunciation. Challenges are a pain because you can’t repeat the pronunciation of phrases. You can listen to single vocabulary words all you want, but you only get a quick shot at phrases. This made learning phrases difficult, and the challenges annoying to complete.
Combat in this game is where this game could have stood out more, but it falls flat after the novelty wears off. After a couple of battles, I found myself actively avoiding them because they felt like a chore. To cast a spell, players have to translate a word to their chosen language within the time limit. The system gives players a word like a dog and two options, and players must pronounce the correct word properly. It’s a fine system, especially with this kind of RPG, but nothing exciting. It also doesn’t always work which is a bit frustrating.
Terra Alia is good at teaching players new words in a different language, but don’t expect to become fluent. I found that the repetitive grind helped me pick up new words quickly, and I rarely needed to look up a resource. Unfortunately, once the novelty wore off, I didn’t find much reason to play. If you have young kids, this is a solid came to throw them into. It has a cute cartoonish style, the loop is simple and easy to follow, and it’s a nice intro to a new language. Anyone more hardcore about RPGs will find the experience lacking. It is a cool idea and I hope they can make it better, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it.
